


care for me

by baexil



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Art School, M/M, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-03 19:10:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11538633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baexil/pseuds/baexil
Summary: Taeyong is sick and gets all of the cuddles.





	care for me

**Author's Note:**

> Warning, this piece still needs some editing.

Their bedroom is just touched with morning rays when Johnny shifts to turn off his alarm. After having shared a bed with him for two years, and a room even longer, Taeyong isn’t usually bothered by being woken far earlier than any college student would prefer.

Today, however, is different. As soon as Taeyong slips from sleep and into the present, a cough wracks his body. 

Wheezing, he rolls over to cough into his pillow, to muffle the sound for Taeil who is sleeping like the dead next to him. 

Johnny, drawn back to their bedside by the noise, is halfway through buttoning his shirt, giving a tantalizing view of smooth, tan skin. It’s enough for his eyes to wander, even has another cough robs him of his words. 

“You sound like death,” Johnny says, unhelpfully. 

Taeyong whimpers, his body reminding him of how sore and unhappy it is as Johnny gently runs a hand through his hair. 

“I feel miserable,” he whines. 

“Here, give me a second,” Johnny says, wandering beyond his view. 

Taeyong ponders cuddling into Taeil’s side when he goes. Taeil is sprawled out on his back, his mouth open and arms stretched, but he envies him too much for being so solidly asleep and somewhat childishly turns his back to him. 

Johnny returns, a glass of water in his hands, and he could kiss him. 

“I could kiss you,” Taeyong says appreciatively. 

Johnny laughs, leaning to press the cool glass against his heated cheek. He sits there, enjoying the coolness against his skin too much to put any energy into moving. 

“I can’t say this often, but I would really prefer if you didn't this time around,” Johnny says more brightness and humor than any human should have at dawn. 

Shifting around to sit up and drink the water without aggravating anything, Taeyong smiles appreciatively when Johnny helps steadies him up against their headboard. Johnny watches with a close eye until he finishes the whole glass. 

“Alright,” he says after Taeyong has finished, “Give me the run down.” 

“Cough, obviously, soreness,” Taeyong lists easily, “Headache, swollen tonsils and…. fever?” he asks, reaching up to press the back of his hand against his forehead. He sighs and lets his hand drop, “I hate being sick.” 

Johnny’s eyes are warm and concerned. They sit in silence for a moment before he asks, “Should I call off of work?” 

His whole body rejects that idea, shaking his head and waving his arms, “No, no, no. No need to do that.” 

Johnny gives him a look. 

“No, seriously, there's no need to be that drastic,” Taeyong says, adamantly, “Besides, Taeil doesn’t have class until noon. He can take care of me.” 

They both turn to look at Taeil, sprawled on his back. Johnny chuckles, “Sleeping beauty this morning, isn’t he?” 

“Seriously,” Taeyong says, reaching for Johnny’s hand, squeezing, “I’ll be okay.” 

Johnny gives him a good look and he tries his best to look as un-sick as he possibly can manage. He doesn’t know how much it works, but they both know it's better for Johnny to go to work than loiter around and play Mother Hen. 

“Okay,” he finally concedes, “But first, I am going to get some medicine and more water and watch you take it. Second, I want you to text me every so often with updates. And third, you take a sick day today. I may need to go into work, but you certainly don’t.” 

Taeyong’s eyes drift at the third stipulation, but snap back when Johnny gives him a knowing look. 

“I’ll try my best,” Taeyong says instead of an answer. Johnny rolls his eyes. 

“You are the most insufferable person I have ever met,” he says, at contrast with the spark of humor and love in his eyes. Taeyong smiles and doesn’t protest when Johnny leans into his space and leaves a soft kiss on his lips. 

Johnny helps Taeyong settle back into bed, pulling the sheets up around his shoulders and kisses his forehead. 

“Rest, Lee Taeyong,” he says. 

“Okay,” Taeyong agrees, eyes already heavy. 

——

Taeyong wakes up for the second time, somehow feeling worse than the first. He feels like cotton is in his ears and his throat is swollen enough now to hurt when he swallows. He groans, his body aching even before he’s fully managed to roll over. A hand that feels ice-cold against his too-warm skin presses against his back. He whimpers at the sensation. 

“Tae,” Taeil calls to him, obviously still half-asleep, “C’mere.” 

Wanting nothing more than to hide away from his own body and the sunshine that pours through their curtains, Taeyong obeys, tucking his head in under Taeil’s chin. 

Dazedly, Taeil rubs at his back, in large soothing motions, “Are you okay?” 

“I feel like an elephant decided to climb instead my skull and make itself a home,” he says, voice muffled into the front of Taeil’s shirt. 

There is a long beat of silence where the elder takes a moment to think about what Taeyong has just said before it clicks and he laughs brightly. He’d join in, laughing more at Taeil’s character-like slowness in the morning than anything else, but his head pulses in displeasure at even the thought. 

“Did Johnny go to work already?” 

“Yeah, I heard him get up about 6-ish to go open up the shop.” 

“I do not pity him.” 

Groaning, he pulls their blanket over his head, “Today is going to suck.” 

Taeil makes a worried noise, patting around for his cell phone to check the time, “You aren’t going to class today, are you?” 

“I agreed to help student teach today,” Taeyong sighs, “And I have a test in that stats class I have to take,” a pause before, “I also promised Jaehyun and Yeri that I would go have dinner with them and help them pass their bio class. And the modern dance team is-” 

A faint displeased noise stops him mid-sentence. He un-buries himself long enough to see Taeil looking at him with clearer eyes, but a concerned twist to his lips. 

“What?” 

“I’m suddenly understanding why you caught a cold,” he says softly, running delicate fingers through Taeyong’s hair. He closes his eyes against the touch, easily relaxing under Taeil’s hands, “You just can’t stay no to people, huh?” 

Taeyong mumbles in a non-response as Taeil continues to play with his hair, humming as he thinks. 

“I really like the pink,” Taeil says off-topic, voice almost in wonder as he watches the pink strands fall between his fingers, and Taeyong has to hide his smile against the crook of his neck. It doesn’t matter how much 

“Okay, in a minute,” Taeil starts with the tone of a decision-made, “We are going to get up, you get in the shower, try and steam out some of the cold, and I’ll fix you some breakfast before your 9am.” 

“Okay, sounds like a good plan.” He says, bringing up the blankets around his shoulder once more. After a minute or two, neither of them have moved. Taeyong peeks out of the blankets and catches Taeil’s eyes which are slowly starting to close again. 

Caught red-handed, Taeil huffs and bringing Taeyong in closer, “Okay, fifteen more minutes.” 

Taeyong laughs and doesn’t stop even when Taeil sleepily tries to shush him. 

——

Dragging his sore and sick body through his morning sessions isn’t easy. He can feel the professor’s eyes on him, assessing him and catching all of the flaws as he tries to move with the grace he has beaten into his body over time. 

As much as he concentrates and tries, it doesn’t work. And by the time the music stops, it leaves him sweating far more than normal. Sticky and uncomfortable. 

“Lee!” His teach barks, “If you aren’t going to try today, then save us the time and sit out.” 

Taeyong grits his teeth and apologizes, setting himself up for the next run as his classmates send worried looks his way. 

By the end of the class, Taeyong slips out from the room and escapes to his hidden spot. A table hidden behind the dance building, tucked between a few trees that provide both shade and camouflage. He throws his bag down and immediately melts onto the wooden bench, thumping his head down and shutting his eyes. 

When he left their apartment, he wasn’t feeling as bad as when he first woke up and was determined to make it through the day. But now, his body is protesting every movement and his headache has come back full force, pounding behind his temples. He wants nothing more than to crawl into the coldest, quietest, darkest place he can find just to hibernate until his body stops wanting to hate itself. 

No, he can do this. He just needs to be alone for a little bit, to recoup, and then he can march back into the building for his next class. 

And that’s when Johnny finds him. 

A crunch of leaves and a snap of a twig has Taeyong lifting his head high enough just to recognize who it is. Johnny’s long form cuts a pretty picture against the foliage but the frown on his lips mar an otherwise perfect picture. 

Great, Johnny is in full force caretaker mode. 

“How’d you find me?” 

“Taeil stopped by work on his way to class.” Johnny says with a false light tone as he slips onto the stool next to him. 

Taeyong groans and presses his warm cheek against the cool wood, shutting his eyes against the unfairness of it all. Taeil and Johnny, both opposite ends of the communication scales, very rarely were on the same page. Only when they were actively working against him do they have such coordination. 

“I thought you were going to rest today,” Johnny doesn’t quite complain, his tone easy but his eyes concerned as he gently runs his long fingers through the short hair at the back of his hair. He practically purrs at the touch, simultaneously melting and moving closer to Johnny for more pets. 

“I have too many things to do,” Taeyong mumbles tiredly, “There is no rest for the weary.” 

Johnny’s lips thin unhappily, “You should go home.” 

“In the morning, after my shower with Taeil, I really felt better,” Taeyong huffs, closing his eyes wearily. 

“You say that, but then Taeil still came to tattle on you.” 

Feeling a bit irritated at the conversations behind his back, Taeyong coldly says, “What has been done is done, there’s nothing I can do it about it now.” 

Johnny’s fingers still and Taeyong tenses up in the silence that immediately follows. A million thoughts run through his head as he searches for something, anything to say. 

“I-“ 

“No,” Johnny interrupts, “You’re right, I’m sorry.” 

Feeling antsy, Taeyong sits up and scoots as close to the taller man as he possibly can, until he is practically in his lap, tucking his head on his shoulder and pressing his nose against the warm skin at the crook of his neck. 

“I’m just tired,” he says softly, “Sorry.” 

Fingers find his hair again, massaging lightly enough for Taeyong to practically turn into a puddle. 

“What do you have left for this afternoon?” Johnny asks instead of commenting then patiently waiting as Taeyong hacks out a cough. 

“Class with the kids and dinner with Yeri and Jaehyun,” he gasps. 

“Your teacher is going to let you go near children in your state?” 

Ah. Taeyong hadn’t considered that. He feels miserable to his bones, aching and shiver and hacking all over the place. He wouldn’t give it to anyone let alone all of the littles in his class. 

“Okay,” he admits, “You have a point.” 

“Good,” Taeyong can hear the warm, pleased note to his voice, “So accept the rest of my point and go home to rest.” 

“But what about-“ 

“I’ll take care of Yeri and Jaehyun. You forget who helped you pass that bio class in the first place.” Johnny says with good humor. 

His eyes are already drooping, body relaxing at the thought of dropping all of his responsibilities onto Johnny’s sturdy shoulders, letting him take his burden as he crawls into bed and closes his eyes to all of the pain he feels. Johnny wraps an arm around his waist to pull him fully onto his lap to run large hands up and down his back, ignoring the shirt stuck to him with sweat as he does so. He turns to place a reverent kiss against his too-warm cheek. 

From there, it’s easy to give up control. 

“Okay,” is all he needs to say. Johnny’s arms tighten in relief, pressing Taeyong firmly against his chest. He feels warm and safe. 

“Good,” is all he says, but he can feel Johnny take a deep breath in relief. 

Taeyong soaks up the comfort and they sit there for a bit before Johnny slowly nudges them apart. They part gently but it feels like he is getting ripped away from Johnny’s side, it’s hard not to pout. 

“I have class in 15 minutes,” Taeyong deflates at the thought of working hime alone, “but Taeil agreed to meet you at the entrance. I’d do it too, but I have studio.” 

That’s better, but- “Doesn’t he have class too?” 

“Yeah,” Johnny says, pulling out his phone to undoubtably texting their third, “But he emailed his prof and let him know he’d be a bit late.” 

Taeyong frowns, “There’s no need to go that far.” 

“He told the professor that it was a family emergency,” he says lightly, standing and helping pull Taeyong to his feet too. Lightly, despite knowing the weight his words will carry with Taeyong. 

Family. 

They referred to him as family. Called him family to people they respect more than anything. Taeyong blames the fever and the cold on how his eyes squeeze shut and his lip trembles. Damn those two, playing to his weaknesses to make him pliable. 

“You’re being cruel,” he says, swaying back into his personal space. 

“Only when you are being stubborn,” Johnny replies easily, threading their hands together, “C’mon, Taeil is waiting on us.” 

——

When they meet Taeil at the entrance, they don’t say much. Taeil smiles that smile that makes his heart flutter, the one that has his eyes sparkling like they hold a secret that only the three of them know. Taeyong reaches for him before he can even think about it, and he comes easily, sliding his hands into theirs. 

——

Taeil sees him into their flat as far as to help him strip out of his clothes and roll him neatly into a blanket burrito on their bed. He leaves for a moment to place a glass of water on their side table. 

His eyes are already heavy, pulling them closed against his will, body dragging him into sleep. Taeil sits on the side of the bed and Taeyong uses the opportunity to curl around him. 

“Yanno,” Taeil starts fingers finding his hair again, “If you keep this up, Johnny will be unbearable.” 

Taeyong sighs, “Why must he be such a mothering know-it-all.” 

Because they both crave the time and attention Johnny gives them, they both don’t need to say. Communication flowing between them instantaneously despite the conversation that says the opposite. 

“You should be easier on yourself.” Don’t make me worry about you. 

“If I was any easier on myself, I wouldn’t even need to get out of bed.” You’re right. It’s hard. I’m trying. 

“Johnny and I might prefer that, could be convenient.” We will take better care of you. 

Taeyong laughs, “Goof.” I love you. 

“I love you too.” Taeil says brightly. Taeyong peeks up at him to see him smile down at him. Hands push his hair back from his face and he tilts his chin up to accept an easy kiss from Taeil 

“Text me if you need anything,” Taeil says, moving to stand, “Let me know if I can bring you anything from the restaurant too.” 

“Oh,” Taeyong says, a pout pulling at his lips as he tightens around Taeil to prevent him from standing, “You have to work tonight?” 

“Yeah, but I’ll be back before dark.” Taeil doesn’t struggle, lets Taeyong wrap around him, but looks down at him with soft, concerned eyes, “Sorry, love.” 

Taeyong’s heart skips a beat. 

“Will you be okay by yourself? You know Mondays are Johnny’s busy days too.” 

“I’ll be better if,” Taeyong says, grabbing the front of Taeil’s shirt to bring him closer, “You come back here and kiss me again.” 

“I should’ve known you were eager to pass your cold onto someone else,” Taeil jokes, but obeys, pushing Taeyong further into the mattress with his weight. Taeyong arches his back, enjoy the feeling of being firmly between Taeil’s chest and the bed, “I’ve always told you my kisses can cure cancer.” 

Taeyong laughs through their kiss. 

——

After Taeil finally escapes, Taeyong spends the next several hours sleeping. When he wakes again, he still feels stuffy, uncomfortable, but still lightyears better than before. 

He is still somehow tired, even though it’s against his very nature to sit still for this long. Wanting a fresh view, he wraps the duvet around him and shuffles to the living room. It’s achingly empty and he selfishly wishes to not be alone before he throws himself onto the couch. 

Flipping on the TV, he only lasts through half an episode of Hit the Stage before he is asleep again. 

When he wakes, the whole room smells of juk and ginger. He groans and tries to blink away the sleep, but he feels so out-of-sorts, not even sure what time it is or how long he slept. 

“Oh look, Sleeping Beauty has risen,” Taeil teases, coming from their connected kitchen into the living room. Pouting, Taeyong turns to give him his most pitiful stare. He spots Johnny’s broad back turned to him, stirring what must be juk on the stove. 

“You are going to hit me while I’m down?” he complains. 

“Shut up and let us wait on you hand and foot, princess,” Taeil says, ignoring Johnny who turns and gives him a look. 

“Who are you to call anyone Sleeping Beauty?” he says dryly. Of course, Taeil takes that as an opportunity to trade glances with Taeyong before he pounces on Johnny. 

Johnny tries to shake him off, “Stop it, damnit, I’m trying to cook.” 

“I’m going to show you who the real princess is.” Taeil says, pulling him down to a height where he can more easily steal a kiss. 

Taeyong laughs as they bicker and pointedly doesn’t say anything when Johnny goes easy on Taeil and lets him pull him down and push him against the counter. With satisfaction, he watches when Taeil pushes up to his tip toes, pulling Johnny down by a grip on his hair to give him a thorough kiss. 

After dodging more kisses, Johnny finally finishes cooking and delivers Taeyong his jut. Taeil has already prodded Taeyong out of the way in order to squeeze into the corner so Taeyong can lean all of his weight into his side. Johnny joins them, pulling Taeyong’s legs into his lap and lightly massaging his sore muscles. 

He is warm and happy and complete, sitting in between the two of them as they share light conversation and easy touches. Not for the first time, he feels so grateful to have these two people in his life. For a moment he tries to imagine going through his day without their support and love and has to mentally swerve away from that line of thinking. 

Setting down his bowl, Taeyong shifts so his back is flush with Taeil’s chest. He looks across the couch to Johnny, his eyes deep and thankful. 

“You look like you are thinking about way more than the trashy TV we were commenting on,” Johnny says. 

“Yeah,” he agrees easily, a smile slowly spreading on his lips. He arches back to look at Taeil from below, his hands reach up to both of his cheeks, bring him into an upside down kiss. Johnny doesn’t need an invitation, coming to press his warm lips against the side of his neck. A shiver rolls through his spine, sparking at every nerve. 

He breaks the kiss and breathlessly says, “I love you.” 

——

(( A couple of days later when Taeyong is back to his energetic self, Johnny complains of a sore throat, and Taeil of a headache, they all know which road this is going down. 

Taeyong makes them tea, commenting as he brings it to them, “Wow, how did you guys catch my cold so quickly?” 

“Should we remind you of exactly how that happened?” Johnny says pointedly as Taeil makes a grab for him. 

Laughing, Taeyong easily dodges out of the way, leaping gracefully out of their arms reach. )) 

**Author's Note:**

> There it is! It still needs some more editing, but I wanted to post SOMETHING for poly taeyong fest because the man deserves all of the love and attention he deserves. I'm on three weeks of work travel (rip me) but I should have some time to fix things up soon.


End file.
